Watch out -- it's the 50s! The romantic dynamics, not to mention the workplace politics and the capitalistic shenanigans, might seem like artifacts from ancient history in the plucky musical, "The Pajama Game." The show jump-started careers left and right, from folks like Bob Fosse and Shirley MacLaine, to more theater insider famous people like Hal Prince. It also enchanted many a theater-goer with its central love story between too hard-chargers, Babe and Sid, whose professional conflicts threaten their budding relationship.

Luckily, Phil Crosby is back to help my parse it all. Plus he relates truly fascinating anecdotes from his first-hand experience working with John Raitt (Bonnie's father) and Mister George Abbott.

Hm, come to think of it, the capitalistic shenanigans seem pretty darn modern so that, in addition to a damn fine score, makes "The Pajama Game" worthy of a look and definitely makes this conversation worth a listen.

Find out more about "The Pajama Game" at ChasingPhantom.net and check out the other podcasts in the TimberTodd Pods family at timbertoddpods.com.

It's a show that you wish was just about the songs -- "There's No Business Like Show Business," "I've Got the Sun in the Morning," etc. -- but, for better or worse, it's set in a time (late 19th century) and place (the Wild West, still somewhat populated by Native Americans), that requires contextualization. The 1999 revival tried and also brought in blockbuster star, Bernadette Peters, to add star power. Ironically, Reba McEntire ended up being the breakout personality when she took over the role.

I talk through all of this with the delightful Robyn O'Neill who starred in a 2005 production of the show that was modeled in part after the 1999 revival. Learn about Robyn's past as a stalker, how her production picked and chose which aspects of the show to use, and about a special someone she started dating during the production's run.

Find out more about "Annie Get Your Gun (1999 revival)" at ChasingPhantom.net and check out the other podcasts in the TimberTodd Pods family at timbertoddpods.com.

Hey there, Chasing Phantom phans! We're taking a little break this week from chasing after all that theater-related historical yumminess in order to introduce you to a brand spanking new podcast, Didn't Read It! Grace Todd, our podcast partner for Convince Me I Care, has embarked on this new adventure and we're very excited to get her expert's perspective on books you should have read but haven't.

Come back in two weeks for more phantastic Phantom phun!

Welcome back to the wacky 1950s! It may be a little mind-boggling that a show so prominently featuring an actor in yellowface ran longer on Broadway than beloved classics like "Grand Hotel" and "Damn Yankees!" But the 50s were an ... "interesting" ... time and, for all its downsides, this is a show that had some surprisingly progressive elements.

The movie version starred none other than Marlon Brando which necessitated bringing back my buffest of movie buff friends, Dr. Jesse Rabinowitz, to dig into this fascinating history. And our old friend from (yikes) "Never Too Late," Paul Ford, also makes a jump-scare appearance.

Find out more about "The Teahouse of the August Moon" at ChasingPhantom.net and check out the other podcasts in the TimberTodd Pods family at timbertoddpods.com. 

The first revival on the list also happens to be my personal favorite show of all time. In honor of the occasion, I have invited a panel of Les Mis experts to talk about the differences between the stage production and the movie, how perceptions of Les Miserables can change over a fan's life, and how children take in (or don't) the complex moral framework of the show.

This is a panel of experts unlike any other including an occupational therapist, a doctor, and a social worker. You want a range of perspective? You've got it!

Find out more about "Les Miserables (2014 revival)" at ChasingPhantom.net and check out the other podcasts in the TimberTodd Pods family at timbertoddpods.com. 

In honor of Independence Day, we talk about a show that is as All-American as apple pie, featuring America's favorite pastime: selling your soul to the devil. No, no, no -- I mean, baseball!

Through the magic of Zoom, the amazing and talented actress, director and producer Dawn Westbrook joins the pod to talk about bringing Lola to life, a role that some folks still remember her for.

Find out more about "Damn Yankees" at ChasingPhantom.net and check out the other podcasts in the TimberTodd Pods family at timbertoddpods.com. 

It is classic, quintessential Broadway: the Tommy Tune directed musical, "Grand Hotel." Strangers intersect in a hotel in 1930s Berlin with passion, crime and redemption the natural results, not to mention some snappy tunes and crowds of dancers choreographed to within an inch of their lives.

And as the perfect companion on the voyage, my guest is classic and quintessential as well: Phil Crosby, executive director of Richmond Triangle Players. We talk about one of the lesser known composer teams in the Broadway cannon, the delight generated by Michael Jeter, and the incredibly long road that "Grand Hotel" had to travel to finally land on Broadway.

Find out more about "Contact" at ChasingPhantom.net and check out the other podcasts in the TimberTodd Pods family at timbertoddpods.com. 

"Contact" was such an anomaly on Broadway that it inspired a new Tony Award category: Best Special Theatrical Event. It was a musical with pre-recorded music and a play with almost no dialogue. The producers called it a "dance play" and there's really been nothing like it since.

I explore the history and ramifications of this fascinating one-off with Julinda Lewis, Ed.D,, who has forgotten more about dance than I'll ever know. We discuss how dancers deal with pre-recorded music, how gestures can mean different things in different countries and many other fun tangents.

Find out more about "Contact" at ChasingPhantom.net and check out the other podcasts in the TimberTodd Pods family at timbertoddpods.com. 

How do you avoid talking about a dreadful show? You invite on a delightful guest! The so-called comedy, "Never Too Late," was a play that ran for an unbelievable 1,007 performances back in the early 1960s, remarkable given the lack of any discernible jokes. My pal, Jesse Rabinowitz, Ph.D., who has forgotten more about old movies than I will ever know, takes what could have been a relentless bashing of this show and expands it into a broader consideration of the evolution of comedy. It's a fast and fun discussion you don't need to be a theater fan to enjoy.

Find out more about "Never Too Late" at ChasingPhantom.net and check out the other podcasts in the TimberTodd Pods family at timbertoddpods.com. 

How the hell did they get away with this? Join me with a only slightly legalistic consideration of what they were thinking when they made "Beatlemania." It opened in 1977 when sadness about the supergroup's breakup was still running high. Not really a musical, the tribute concert was more a multimedia trip through the 1960s. My not-a-lawyer best pal, Randy Evans, chat about the relatively short winding road that this Broadway oddity went down before the real Beatles stopped feuding long enough to take action.

Find out more about "Big River" at ChasingPhantom.net and check out the other podcasts in the TimberTodd Pods family at timbertoddpods.com.